Give Fonterra a call

Thousands of people have sent emails raising concerns about Fonterra’s use of PKE, its role the deforestation of Indonesian rainforests; accelerating climate change and the damage being done to NZ’s reputation. And the ask is simple - to abandon its industrial farming model and the use of unsustainable palm kernel to fuel it and shift to a more environmentally beneficial method of ‘smart farming’.

However, so far Fonterra has failed to take responsibility for its actions and continue to put profit before the planet. They’ve ignored emails, repeatedly removed comments from the Fonterra Facebook page and eventually deleting down their Facebook page altogether!

Say that the statement on its website does not answer the questions about the use of unsustainable palm kernel

State your opposition to the Fonterra industrial dairy model as it’s destroying the environment and the planet

Demand some commitment that Fonterra will at the very least end the use of unsustainable palm kernel.

You can call or txt 021 507 072 or call 09 374 9000 or 0800 262 467

The Fonterra Statement taken apart

Fonterra, under increasing pressure, are making weak claims that it can't back up with facts. Fonterra’s statement speaks of the palm industry as being one which “we believe follow[s] industry best practice in responsible sourcing”, but what it's really saying is that is doesn't know where its palm kernel comes from.

Firstly it starts by claiming that importing palm kernel expeller (PKE) is not driving deforestation which is misleading. Palm kernel is a lucrative part of the currently unsustainable palm industry which is driving rainforest destruction across South East Asia. By importing up to a quarter of the world’s trade in to fuel its industrial dairying model, Fonterra is contributing to this environmental destruction.

Fonterra claim that their half-owned subsidiary RD1, only source their PKE from a single source - Wilmar International. Although Wilmar are members of the RSPO, there is currently very little traceability in the palm industry and only a tiny fraction of commercial palm mills meet even basic sustainability standards. This means that a vast majority of it is sourced from unsustainable sources.

And as Wilmar buys over half its palm products from third parties and has no policy in place to ensure that suppliers involved in rainforest destruction are excluded from its supply chain, Fonterra's claims are clearly wrong.

Fonterra claims that ‘palm kernel is only a small part of a big problem so it’s OK’ and ‘our cows mostly eat grass’ – which is a meaningless statement. The fact remains that Fonterra farms are feeding their herds with palm kernel that is coming from the currently unsustainable palm industry to fuel industrial dairying. Fonterra have to take responsibility for this and end its role in rainforest destruction.

Fonterra’s statement on the sustainability of its feed is completely undermined by palm industry figures that show that this year NZ$230 million – the value of the feed New Zealand buys – is likely to end up in the pockets of the companies carrying out the destruction of Indonesian rainforests.

The latest updates

A major palm oil company, which had its sustainability certificates suspended for violating rules designed to prevent the destruction of Indonesia's forests and peatlands, has had those certificates reinstated. This shocking decision...

In the very first high-level meeting between Greenpeace and Fonterra , Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings told me on Friday that Fonterra does not want to be implicated in deforestation in Indonesia.
This is real progress and it was...

For half an hour Otan wouldn't let go. Only eight months old, he already had a vice-like grip, his nails digging so deep they left half-moon imprints in the skin of his carer. If there were trees, Otan would be swinging freely from...

For months, forest fires raged across Indonesia bringing the world's attention to the country's devastating forest destruction. Both people and orang-utans were endangered as the fires raged and a thick, choking haze swept across...

Forest and peatland destruction by ‘sustainable’ palm oil companies, including Fonterra supplier Wilmar, is fuelling forest fires in Borneo, a new investigation by Greenpeace International has revealed.

With extreme weather events leading to widespread flooding and with crashing global dairy commodity prices, farmers are describing this as a terrible winter.
However Greenpeace has been consistently making the point that what...

The carbon footprint of New Zealand milk could be much larger than Fonterra claims.
A new report released today reveals that Fonterra’s continued use of palm kernel expeller (PKE) as a supplementary feed on dairy farms could...

Fonterra’s use of palm kernel expeller (PKE) could hide a large source of unaccounted climate emissions, making a significant contribution to the carbon footprint of its milk products - palm products are typically grown on cleared rainforest or...

On Saturday five Greenpeace activists took action on a shipment of palm kernel entering the Port of New Plymouth bound for Fonterra farms. The five of them were able to stay aboard the ship, locked in the crane cabs and on the anchor...

Five Greenpeace activists occupy the ship’s cranes. The MV Great Motion has 10,000 tonnes of palm kernel on board. It is at anchor just outside the Port, where it had been waiting for another ship to unload its palm kernel and depart a berth used...